Where do NJ Republicans, Democrats stand on border security bill? A vote could come soon

A bipartisan bill in Congress tying border security measures to foreign aid will come before the Senate this week. It faces an uphill climb with former President Donald Trump pressuring Republicans to oppose it.

Where does New Jersey's congressional delegation stand on the legislation − especially the three Republicans who are part of the House majority that could decide the bill's fate? Will Democrats support a package that's rumored to provide more power to turn away migrants and asylum seekers at the border?

The Record and NorthJersey.com reached out to the Garden State delegation last week. Democrats said Congress must take action but largely withheld comment on specific reforms. The three Republicans did not respond, but are on record blasting President Joe Biden's record on border issues.

An official text for the border bill has yet to be released. But published reports have hinted at details negotiated by White House officials with independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma.

The bill reportedly will also include $110 billion in funding to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. A formal proposal could be released as soon as Sunday, with an initial vote in the Senate to be held Wednesday, according to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who leads the chamber.

What's in the border security bill?

USA Today reported the bill would give the Department of Homeland Security authority to shut down the border between the U.S. and Mexico if migrant crossings surpass an average of 5,000 a day or daily crossings exceed a daily average of 4,000 over one week. The report said the proposal would allow some migrants fleeing torture or persecution in their home countries to stay in the U.S., but it would also seek to speed up a backlogged asylum process so that immigration judges hear cases within six months.

Asylum seekers would receive an initial interview within days of arriving at the border, the Associated Press reported. They would then either be expelled or given a work permit as they await a hearing.

However, Trump has called on fellow Republicans – publicly and on social media – to oppose such a measure. Democrats say he's trying to preserve the border as an election issue for the fall campaign, but his words have swayed Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has said the rumored Senate deal is too weak and will be "dead on arrival," though he denied his opposition had anything to do with Trump.

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Where NJ Republicans stand

If New Jersey's three Republicans − U.S. Reps. Tom Kean Jr., Chris Smith, and Jeff Van Drew − agree or disagree with that sentiment, they have not made their stances known publicly. None responded to questions from NorthJersey.com.

But Kean, Smith and Van Drew have all had something to say about border security.

Thomas Kean Jr.

Kean, who represents the 7th Congressional District in Central and North Jersey, including parts of Sussex and Morris counties, referred to "President Biden's complete absence of border security" in January in comments on his website about a suggestion by the state to place migrants in the long-closed Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital in Hunterdon County.

"We cannot ignore the consequences of allowing millions of unvetted illegal migrants to enter our country. It's crucial that every level of government prioritizes the safety and well-being of our communities while also addressing the root causes of this issue," he said.

Kean touted his support for the Secure the Border Act of 2023, a Republican bill that passed the House along a mostly party-line vote last year. The bill would force the Biden administration to restart construction of a border wall, increase the number of Border Patrol agents and provide bonus pay to those agents. It also reinstates a "remain in Mexico" policy that sent some asylum-seekers to be sent back to Mexico during immigration proceedings.

Jeff Van Drew

Van Drew, who represents New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District, covering much of South Jersey, demanded in a Jan. 23 press release that the Senate pass the Secure the Border Act. The Republican, the chairman of Trump's reelection campaign in New Jersey, has also spoken out against migrants who ended up in New Jersey, where 22% of the population are immigrants, according to Census data.

In September, he lashed out at a suggestion by the federal government to house migrants at the Atlantic City International Airport, saying that he guaranteed that among the new arrivals, "there will be individuals who are criminals." Last month, he criticized both Gov. Phil Murphy and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after buses transporting migrants from Texas and Louisiana to New York City dropped off passengers at several Garden State transit hubs.

The trips were arranged by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.

Chris Smith

Smith, who represents the Jersey Shore-centric 4th Congressional District, also called for passage of the Republican border proposal after the arrival of the migrant buses in New Jersey.

"President Biden’s illegal open-border policies and failure to secure our southern border continue to seriously jeopardize our national security and the safety of American citizens as hundreds of migrants are now being bused to New Jersey and left at train stations throughout our state," Smith said in a press release.

The influx of migrants, he said, has left women and children "vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking" and enabled the smuggling of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the country.

Democrats on the border proposal

Several New Jersey Congressional Democrats were more responsive about the proposed border security bill, and Trump's attempt to get Republicans to stop supporting the bill in statements to NorthJersey.com.

Bill Pascrell

Bill Pascrell, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Bergen and Passaic counties, including his hometown of Paterson, said in a statement, "Failure to address border security so it can be a political issue for Trump’s campaign is appalling. Failure to support Ukraine against Russian invasion would be a catastrophic abdication of leadership. Abandoning this bill will make New Jersey, America, and the world less safe."

Rob Menendez

Rob Menendez, whose 8th Congressional District includes much of Hudson County and parts of Newark and Elizabeth, said he was concerned that the proposed Senate bill would "fundamentally alter the asylum process, which would impact members of our communities as well as families of those seeking asylum."

Menendez said that tying foreign aid to border policy would make it more difficult for the targeted countries to receive aid. He also said that Trump's opposition "proves - yet again - that former President Trump and Republicans do not want to fix our border or immigration system challenges and will continue to play politics."

Frank Pallone

Frank Pallone, whose 6th Congressional District encompasses portions of Middlesex County and coastal Monmouth County, echoed some of those sentiments, saying that "Republicans are holding our national security hostage" while "Democrats support commonsense immigration reform and border security."

Donald Norcross

Donald Norcross, from the 1st Congressional District, which includes Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington counties, struck a conciliatory tone. "The only way we can truly fix the border is to put politics aside and work together on commonsense security solutions that also include comprehensive immigration reform." Norcross was also the only representative among those contacted by NorthJersey.com who indicated he would support the bipartisan bill as outlined if it comes up for a vote.

Donald Payne Jr.

Payne, the representative for the 10th Congressional District, covering parts of Essex and Union counties and a section of Jersey City, referred to his comments on Thursday during a hearing on a Republican plan to impeach Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary. Payne said he opposed the impeachment, and that Republicans and Democrats should "come together and find reasonable, humane and equitable proposals to address this complex issue."

Other Democrats, including North Jersey representatives Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, didn't provide immediate comments to NorthJersey.com as of Saturday.

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ACLU has reservations about asylum

The ACLU of New Jersey also expressed reservations about the rumored border security deal.

ACLU-NJ Senior Staff Attorney Farrin Anello said that the group "is deeply concerned by reports that Senate negotiators may be considering a rushed package of major changes to our immigration system, some of which could make it impossible for refugees fleeing persecution abroad to seek protection in the United States."

Anello said the federal government "should focus on reforms such as building capacity to review asylum claims, providing lawyers for those who cannot afford them, providing housing assistance for asylum-seekers, and speeding up the work authorization process so asylum-seekers can support themselves and their families."

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Border security bill: Where NJ Republicans, Democrats stand